Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Lagos Trader Loses Millions Buried Underground

There was a mild drama on Monday in the Daleko Market, Mushin, Lagos State, as journalists searched in vain for an unidentified trader who was said to have lost huge sums of money buried in her shop to the fire incident that razed the market on Sunday.

Our correspondent, who visited the market, could see the huge hole in the shop where the money was said to have been buried.

One of the traders, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on condition of anonymity, said the trader was in the habit of keeping her money in the underground, instead of a bank.

He said, “The woman usually keeps money in her shop, and would use her goods to cover it.

“But we are not sure if the whole money was destroyed by the fire. The theory here is that those that arrived first at the market saw the money and stole it.”

However, conflicting figures given by the traders made it difficult to ascertain the exact amount that was lost.

While some said it was between N2m to N5m, others put it higher than that.

But an attempt to speak with the said shop owner was unsuccessful as she was said to have gone to Alausa with other market leaders.

Meanwhile, other traders and shop owners at the market have appealed to the Lagos State Government to assist them to rebuild their shops.

No fewer than 120 shops were affected in the fire that reportedly started around 1am as a result of a power surge.